On Sunday mornings during seminary, you’d find me perched up in the choir loft of my congregation. I’ll never forget the Sunday where we officially welcomed a handful of new members into our congregation. As we clapped with gratitude and joy, the choir member sitting next to me, our church treasurer, leaned over to me and said “I know I’m not supposed to say this, but every time I see a new member walk down the aisle all I can think of is more money in the offering plate.”
It’s easy to point out all that is wrong with that statement – it’s certainly cringeworthy – but in reality, this church treasurer was focusing on a metric that she was instructed to pay close attention to: the money in the offering plate. This church treasurer came to faith during the baby boom when evangelism was as simple as the church opening its doors. It was a living embodiment of “if you build it, they will come.” The numbers of people in the pew and the amount of money in the offering plate on a Sunday morning told the story of the vitality of the congregation. A surplus meant “stewardship” was good and the congregation might consider expanding its staff or its space to meet the needs of the ever increasing number of people who came through the doors. While we may have some theological quibbles with the church of the past, it’s undeniable that these numbers were tracked for a reason.
And yet, isn’t the church’s mission about more than the number of people in the pew or the amount of money in the offering plate? As one of my students recently remarked, “just because there is more money coming in, doesn’t mean God is more present there.” Maybe in our desire to grow (or even just maintain) the numbers, we’ve lost sight of what really matters.
I have found Faith+Lead’s Four Key Pivots to be so helpful as we recalibrate our perspective to lead faithfully in the church today. I particularly appreciate Pivot 2: a shift in focus from membership to discipleship. I hear it as a shift from counting to cultivating. Thinking back to my seminary congregation example, one of the things that stands out to me is the assumption that these newly welcomed members would automatically know that everyone who joined the church was expected to support it with their time, money, and other resources. And yet, as these newly minted congregation members walked back to their seats I would guess this was the last thing on their mind.
Stewardship is a key part of our discipleship journey. It is the way that we love God and neighbor with all that God has entrusted to us our care – our money and so much more! It changes the way we look at all of the resources that God has entrusted to us – reminding us they belong to God and not to us. One of the ways we live out our call as stewards is by giving generously to God’s work in the world, particularly God’s work through our local congregation. However, I have yet to meet a single person who has walked into church for the first time knowing this! It has to be taught not just in a single one-off stewardship education hour but deeply embedded into the congregation’s life together.
So where might we start?
I think it’s helpful to return to the text, to God’s Word, and listen to what the Spirit has to say about our lives as stewards. I think we too often bypass this transformative stewardship journey because the texts about it in the Bible – and particularly the texts about money – make us uncomfortable. They can often be difficult to translate into today’s context – and they can, at times, feel conflicting. There isn’t a clear step-by-step process for how God would have us use our money, which can leave many of us who crave a clear delineation of right and wrong feeling a bit bereft.
I will admit that this uncertainty often left me feeling anxious, but over the last few years I’ve discovered this can actually be a good thing. In my conversations with seminarians, church leaders, and everyday disciples, I’ve noticed that people tend to lean in when we talk about these stories. They are curious how they could be interpreted and are grateful there are no easy answers. I’ve seen people light up as we wade into the messy middle of real life conversations about how a faithful person might use their money and the fact that the seminary-trained person in the room doesn’t have a clear cut answer at the ready only makes them more curious and engaged.
Here are a few of my favorite texts to get the conversation started:
- Deuteronomy 14:22-27: A uniquely different vision of the tithe than most of us have encountered before – turning the tithe into a feast for your household and your neighbors.
- Exodus 35-36: God invites the Israelites to build a tabernacle and, even in the midst of scarce circumstances, what they brought was more than enough to make it happen.
- Luke 10:25-37: The Good Samaritan story is a wonderful example of stewardship as love of God and neighbor. It’s also a reminder to us that stewardship is not only about giving, but also about receiving God’s love and grace from someone we would never expect.
- Luke 12:22-34: While often seen as an admonishment for those who worry, it’s a great reminder that God sees our needs, knows our worries, and promises to provide for us.
- Luke 19:1-7: Too often the story of Zaccheaus is reduced to a song about his stature or judgement of his role as a tax collector, but this is a powerful story of salvation and transformation. Zaccheaus’ encounter with Jesus changes everything, including his financial life.
There are countless more texts I could point to – I invite you to add your own to the list.
While there are many different ways you could explore these texts, I’ve often found that spiritual practices are a great way to start the conversation. Over the last few months, I’ve been working with some congregation leaders in a Faith & Money Learning Lab to create some of these practices together. I’ll close this article by sharing one we’ve been working on focused on money worries.
Begin by reading Luke 12:22-32 from The Message Paraphrase. If possible, print out a copy that you can write on. During the first reading, I invite you to circle (or write down) all of the words that have to do with worrying, like “fuss”.
One of the things I appreciate most about this text is that God sees all of our worries – big and small. God knows the small things we fuss about and the big things that keep us up at night. It’s likely you have some worries of your own that you could add to this text. I invite you to add in some financial worries that you hold in the white space on either side of this text (or on a separate piece of paper).
Again, Jesus brings up this “fussing” in the parable because he knows us, he sees us, and he cares about us. He knows the big and small things that weigh on us. In this passage in particular, he is encouraging us not to waste time or energy fussing about the things that don’t really matter and the things we really cannot control. Instead, he invites us to place our focus on God. He knows this isn’t easy and we need to be reminded. As you read the text a second time, I encourage you to underline all of Jesus’ promises and encouragements to us in this passage.
As you look back on the underlined text, I invite you to choose a phrase from this text to remind you of God’s promise when all of the things you wrote about on either side of the text begin to weigh on you. For instance, you might choose “look at the ravens” or “carefree in the care of God”. Then, once you’ve chosen your phrase, I invite you to think of an action you can take to remind you of God’s presence in that moment of fussing. For instance, might you take a walk around your neighborhood, play with your child, or take a few deep breaths? Might you put a wildflower or raven as the background screen on your phone to remind you of God’s care for you and all of creation? Write down your phrase and next step.
Reflect on these questions:
- What happens in your body and mind when you encounter financial worries?
- What might God’s promise/invitation be to you in that moment?
- Unlike most translations of this text, Eugene Peterson’s Message paraphrase talks about “fussing” rather than “worrying.” What types of concerns is Jesus talking about here? What concerns aren’t included in this list?
- Jesus was talking to a group of people, not just one person. How does that information change the way you hear this passage?
We’ll end our practice with prayer.
Creator God, we give thanks for all that you have made: the ravens, the fields, the wildflowers, our very selves. We know that you see us and all that weighs us down – the big things and the small things. Today, we bring before you the financial worries that are on our hearts … [share your financial worries with God]
Receive these worries so we may turn towards you and your promises to us. In the midst of our worries, may we remember these words from the gospel text for today … [share the words of promise you identified]
May we steep ourselves in your reality, your initiative, your provisions, for you are giving us the very kingdom itself. Amen.
